Archive for September, 2008

E- scrap is the premier electronics recycling conference of North America. The conference format and tradeshow provide a collaborative setting and numerous networking opportunities. The 2007 conference, held last October in Atlanta, attracted more than 900 attendees. In addition to informative sessions, E-Scrap 2008 will feature a tradeshow showcasing the latest innovations and service offerings from firms providing e-scrap equipment and processing systems, as well as, firms providing reclamation opportunities, consulting services and markets for e-scrap materials.
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From the Internet to the iPod, technologies are transforming our society and empowering us as speakers, citizens, creators, and consumers. When our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense. EFF broke new ground when it was founded in 1990, well before the Internet was on most people’s radar, and continues to confront cutting-edge issues defending free speech, privacy, innovation, and consumer rights today. From the beginning, EFF has championed the public interest in every critical battle affecting digital rights. Blending the expertise of lawyers, policy analysts, activists, and technologists, EFF achieves significant victories on behalf of consumers and the general public.

Dell plans to transition all of its new laptop displays to light-emitting diode (LED) in the next 12 months, a major achievement in its commitment to become “the greenest technology company on the planet”. Effective December the 15th, 2008, two-thirds of Dell LatitudeTM E-Family laptops will be shipped with LED back lighting as a standard feature. In addition to being mercury-free and highly recyclable, LED displays deliver significant energy savings compared to cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) technology. Dell also estimates that at least 80 percent of its total laptop volume will be delivered with LED as a standard back-lit display by the end of 2009 and 100 percent in 2010. The company’s progress in LED technology is evidenced not only by this long-term commitment but also by development efforts over the past 18 months. Dell expects these efforts to pave the way for others in the industry to follow.
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After nearly two years of work, openLCA is finally available in a Beta 1.0 version, as free open source software, for modelling and assessing Life Cycle Assessments, with various import and export options, and with a help for clarifying some questions. The version released is for Windows (2000 or higher), a version for Linux is in preparation and will be publicly available soon as well (by now available on request).
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Make magazine have published a Maker’s Bill of Rights to demand hackability in products. Interestingly, the things that make a device hackable are the same things that make a device repairable and upgradeable, so design-for-hacking is also green design. Some of these requirements are nearly word-for-word from green design certification standards like EPEAT. Why is design for hackability the same as design for long lifetime? Because the things a hacker wants to do to a device today are the same things required to keep a device from getting obsolete years from now.

The Computer Equipment Recycling Program became effective in the State of Texas on September 1st. This law unanimously passed by the Texas legislature last year and implemented by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, is a progressive e-cycling law that will create additional computer recycling options for consumers. In short, the new law requires any company selling a computer in the state must offer a free consumer recycling program.
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